Azealia Banks has opened up about her positive experience working with Mallrat on the pair’s recent single ‘Surprise Me’, which was released last month.
Lifted from Mallrat’s debut album ‘Butterfly Blue’, which drops this Friday, ‘Surprise Me’ is a pop-trap blend, with angelic vocals from Brisbane’s Mallrat – aka Grace Shaw – and a punchy guest verse by Banks.
Taking to Twitter over the weekend, Banks shared her reflections on the Mallrat tie-up, which she described as “super cool and chill”, while implicitly comparing it to other less-favourable collaborations she’s done.
Banks wrote: “There was no forcing my hand, no premature announcements, her team was super easy going and professional – considering I was also working on things of my own, and best of all, There was no thirstiness.”
“It was a genuine and sincere invite from one artist to another,” she continued. “Not a second which I felt that if I was unable to get it done, she’d use public disdain to try and make my personality (when I’ve never been nothing but generous and sweet to everyone) a point of contention.”
“I wanna do more collaborations like that… where I don’t feel like a bitch is ready to pounce and start trying to pull all the cliche – ‘she’s mean,’ ‘she’s mentally ill,’ crap against me when they don’t get their way. Newsflash girls : you’re being narcissists”.
Sidebar: collaborating with Mallrat was super cool and chill. There was no forcing my hand, no premature announcements, her team was super easy going and professional – considering I was also working on things of my own, and best of all, There was no thirstiness.
— Azealia Banks (@Azealiaishere) May 7, 2022
I wanna do more collaborations like that… where I don’t feel like a bitch is ready to pounce and start trying to pull all the cliche – “she’s mean,” “she’s mentally ill,” crap against me when they don’t get their way. Newsflash girls : you’re being narcissists
— Azealia Banks (@Azealiaishere) May 7, 2022
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Similarly, Shaw only had positive things to say about Banks, telling NME that the rapper was a “dream to work with”.
“She has a real, genuine passion for music and cares so much,” Shaw told NME in an April 2022 cover story. “She’s really become a mentor and has been sending me all this incredible advice and feedback over the last few months as well. I really admire and respect her.”
‘Surprise Me’ is the latest taste of Mallrat’s forthcoming album, following previously released singles ‘Your Love’ and ‘Teeth’.
Banks has made many headlines in the past for controversial comments and celebrity feuds, including calling an airline attendant a “fucking f*****” in 2015, and Zayn Malik a “curry scented bitch” the following year.
She was also embroiled in a feud with Grimes and Elon Musk after a 2018 incident where she allegedly spent days at his house waiting for Grimes. Grimes wrote a song about the dispute called ‘100 Percent Tragedy’ which she shared last year, saying it was “about having to defeat Azealia Banks when she tried to destroy my life”.
Banks responded on social media by saying “Grimes def has some psychosexual obsession with me”, adding “I think it’s bitterness cuz she doesn’t have the musical capacity I have”.